Talk turns to scandal in Cherryville

Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 at 06:17 PM.

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Hines said he sees the whole thing as a black eye on Cherryville’s face.

Others polled by The Gazette on Main Street Wednesday echoed Hines’ sentiment, though most refused to give their names or go on the record.

Some people chastised the media for publicizing Hoyle’s charges more than Alexander’s, but no charges were formally made against Alexander until her court appearance this week.

Hoyle came under fire in June when she was charged with 10 counts of embezzlement by county police. She had been fired from her job a month before.

Hoyle’s case was being handled in Gaston County Superior Court until the federal court took it over this week. Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell said he’ll drop the 10 counts against Hoyle now that she’s pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Unlike Hoyle, Alexander resigned her position in December 2011. No charges were brought against her locally. She appeared in federal court on bills of information and pleaded guilty.

Alexander, 58, of Cherryville, pleaded guilty to five counts of program embezzlement. Each charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The most popular dish served at Home Folks Café on Main Street in Cherryville Wednesday morning wasn’t on the menu.

As regulars ordered their scrambled eggs and coffee, they spoke of the latest news – guilty pleas of two former Cherryville city employees.

Former city finance director Bonny Alexander and former utilities director Jennifer Hoyle each agreed to plea arrangements in federal court Tuesday. Each woman admitted to her misdeeds and will be sentenced at a later date.

The guilty pleas only proved what some Cherryville residents have been rumbling for more than a year.

John Hines lives in Cherryville. He said he’s heard for years about corruption in Cherryville. But he refused to believe rumors.

“You hear a lot of talk, but talk don’t mean nothing,” he said.

But when people started getting fired and arrests were made, Hines started putting more stock in what people were saying.

Hines said he sees the whole thing as a black eye on Cherryville’s face.

Others polled by The Gazette on Main Street Wednesday echoed Hines’ sentiment, though most refused to give their names or go on the record.

Some people chastised the media for publicizing Hoyle’s charges more than Alexander’s, but no charges were formally made against Alexander until her court appearance this week.

Hoyle came under fire in June when she was charged with 10 counts of embezzlement by county police. She had been fired from her job a month before.

Hoyle’s case was being handled in Gaston County Superior Court until the federal court took it over this week. Gaston County District Attorney Locke Bell said he’ll drop the 10 counts against Hoyle now that she’s pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Unlike Hoyle, Alexander resigned her position in December 2011. No charges were brought against her locally. She appeared in federal court on bills of information and pleaded guilty.

Alexander, 58, of Cherryville, pleaded guilty to five counts of program embezzlement. Each charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Hoyle, 34, also of Cherryville, pleaded guilty to three counts of program fraud. Each charge also carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Alexander used her position to write her own payroll checks at an inflated amount of three times her salary, and she forged signatures to write checks to pay her American Express card. Over the course of six years she embezzled at least $435,294.

Hoyle used her position to accept cash payments from customers then pocketed the money and destroyed any record of the payments, while still giving customers credit for paying their bills. She took at least $92,922 over the course of three years.

The women’s guilty pleas are the latest in a string of federal cases lodged by the FBI and SBI.

Six Cherryville men, including four with ties to law enforcement, have also been indicted in federal court. Only one has yet to accept a plea arrangement. Those cases came from a sting operation in which the men helped transport stolen goods and extort money.

Cherryville Mayor Bob Austell called the whole ordeal an embarrassment. But as he’s said in multiple City Council meetings, Austell hopes that once the mess is cleaned up Cherryville will be stronger.

“I can just say that it’s behind us now, and we are going to be a better town because of it,” he said.

Richard Randall, president of the Cherryville Chamber of Commerce, had a similar opinion.

Randall said that when the rumors started about possible corruption within the city, there was unrest and speculation. Then there was a lull in activity.

Now with the latest guilty pleas, Randall said he hears people saying they’re ready to move on.

“They’re just glad that things are happening. It’s putting us in a good position of getting past it all,” he said.

But the nameless people on Main Street think there might be another shoe left to drop.

Hines said he’s long heard of a drug trafficking problem rolling through Cherryville. And Martin said many of her customers talk of more indictments on the way for former Cherryville city and police employees.

But until indictments are handed down or arrest warrants issued, those allegations will merely churn in the rumor mill and remain a juicy side dish at the dinner table.

You can reach reporter Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.